1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for displaying a hold service on a multifunction telephone.
2) Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the progress in technology of small and middle size private branch exchanges, an increasing number of offices has introduced PBXs and button telephone sets. Particularly, multifunction telephone sets have been often used where a call is held during conversation by depressing the hold button thereof and then can be transferred to the right responder even if unrelated person receives the telephone. Button holding, which is set at an office line button attribution, has been increasingly used for a call forwarding.
In the conventional multifunction telephone set hold service system, the multifunction telephone set indicates its holding state by flashing a lamp. Some multifunction telephone sets can perform the button holding with their office line buttons attributed.
In this case, plural office line buttons can be attributed to a single multifunction telephone set, or a single office line button can be attributed to plural telephone sets. When the button holding is employed, a self point holding state and a distant point holding state can be distinguished from each other by the flashing displays with different colors.
However, such a conventional multifunction telephone set hold service displaying system has a disadvantage in that when an addressed person's job does not allow an immediate respond to the telephone call, the hold operator must maintain its call forwarding operation till the addressed person becomes free, whereby the operator's job is disturbed.
Moreover, since only the multifunction telephone set of a hold operator flashes in green during the self hold state, the flashing cannot be seen on other multifunction telephone sets. Hence there has been a disadvantage in that the hold operator must wait till the addressed person takes the telephone call.
When a transfer or forwarding is made by holding an office line button, plural office line buttons can be attributed to a single multifunction telephone set, but a common office line button can be attributed to plural multifunction telephone sets. In this case, plural button holding calls may occur. If all other distant points display a hold state, the corresponding button hold calling cannot be specified. Hence there is a disadvantage in that it takes much time for the responder to respond to the holding.
Furthermore, there is a disadvantage in that the hold operator tells about the corresponding button and the responder must depress correctly the button to respond to the call. When the responder cannot respond quickly to a call or the responder to the button holding call does not know the button holding call to be responded, he must ask for the right button again to the hold operator or watch the color of the button lamp of the multifunction telephone set subjected to the hold operation to confirm the right button.
There is a disadvantage in that when the hold operator is out of the spot, the responder must confirm the color of the right button lamp at the multifunction telephone set subjected to the hold operation.